It's Gonna Be Okay
by Hisa-Ai
Summary: Nick finds out his father has just passed away and is still processing when Jess finds out and comforts him in her own small way that means the world to him. "It's gonna be okay, Nick."


**This is just my version of Nick finding out that his father has passed. So, basically, it takes place between the last episode "Quick Hardening Caulk" and the next episode, "Chicago." I've actually seen some spoilers by this point so I know how he finds out and how he tells his friends and all that, but I wrote this _before_ I saw that particular spoiler, so, yeah. It's just something I thought was a nice thought and a break from the usual Ness make-out sessions I've been writing lately, but it's still got enough of a Ness moment that I think it's just a nice little thing to post before tonight's episode comes on.**

**Disclaimer: **I don't own "New Girl" or anything associated with "New Girl". And I _certainly_ don't own any of the New Girl characters or any of the people who _play_ New Girl characters, which means that I, unfortunately, don't have Jake Johnson tied up in a closet or basement somewhere. Because that would be weird... Right?

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**Fic.**

For five hours, Nick slept fitfully, tossing and turning and thinking about what the _hell_ had happened between him and Jess just before he went to bed. Had they really almost had _sex_? Right there on the table where they sometimes ate their meals? How did that even _happen_? Since when did _she_ – since when did _he_ – was that all they wanted? _Sex_? Or did they want something long-term, did they really want a relationship out of the whole thing? Well, speaking for himself, Nick knew that _he_ wanted a relationship with her – sex or no sex, he just wanted to _be_ with her.

But did she want to be with him?

With a groan of frustration, he threw back his blanket and sheets, throwing them in a tangled mess on the floor. Being alone with his thoughts was getting him _nowhere_, so he might as well do something to get his mind away from its own jumbled mess…

Not even bothering to check the time, he walked to his door and opened it, walking out of his room and standing in the dark between his and Jess' rooms. He wondered what was going on behind her door, whether she was having as hard a time sleeping as he was, if she was over-thinking this like he was, or if she was even thinking about it at all.

He swallowed as he felt a stab through his heart at that possibility, momentarily contemplating knocking on her door to finish what they had started, but he quickly thought better of it; if she _was_ asleep and he woke her up, she would _not_ be merciful about it.

So, instead, he padded away from their rooms in his bare feet towards the living room. The loft felt cold and empty in the middle of the night like this, so… _dead_. Then again, all he was wearing was a pair of boxers and a thin white shirt, so that might have had something to do with it as well, but he couldn't help the tugging feeling on his mind that wouldn't go away. Something about the chill in the air set him on guard, and while it definitely took his mind off Jess and what had happened between them, it put him too on edge, something about it was just… _unnatural_.

Without much thought, he flicked on a light and walked around the mess he'd made earlier to get to the thermostat, turning the heat up from sixty to seventy. He hoped if it warmed up some, the odd feeling he was getting would go away and leave him to other things… Like, for starters, the mess he'd made earlier. With the room fully illuminated and his mind clear of lust and desire, the room looked a hell of a lot worse than he remembered it to be; he _really_ ought to clean it up. After all, it was partially – okay, _mostly_ his fault.

He was wondering if they owned a mop, and, if they _did_, where Schmidt might keep it, when the phone rang once, twice, three times before it really registered with him and he scrambled for it, hoping to answer it before Jess woke up.

When he finally picked up the cordless, he glanced at the number on the lit-up screen; it was a 773 area code. He didn't need to look at the rest of the number to know it was his mother, so he answered it, not thinking about how odd it was for her to be calling him at this time of night until he actually answered it and heard his mother's voice, and by then it was too late…

"Hey, Ma!"

~.~.~.~.

In the morning when Jess finally dared to venture out of her room after half a night of restless sleep, the first thing she noticed was how still the air was, how _cold_ and completely unmoving it was. Now, after the mess her and Nick had left out there the night before, she expected some sort of commotion or yelling or _something_, but there was just… Nothing. An unsettling sort of nothing at that.

Cautiously, she peeked around the corner, not sure what to expect. Much to her surprise, however, all three of her roommates were sitting at the very table she almost had sex on the night before. Winston and Schmidt had their backs to her, so she couldn't see their faces, but she could see Nick's. Well, sort of. Hhe was holding it in his hands, just sitting there, _silent_. Jess' heart skipped around; something was wrong. _Very, very wrong._

She took in a breath and walked over to the trio slowly, trying not to disturb anyone. She walked over to stand at the end of the table so she could see everyone's faces. Winston and Schmidt were wearing sympathetic looks on their faces, but they were nowhere near as torn up as Nick's was.

"What happened?" she asked, her voice shaking with the possibilities of what could have happened. Not many things could send Nick into such a state, after all. Whatever happened… It couldn't be good.

Everyone looked at her, suddenly noticing her presence, but for a long moment no one say anything until Nick looked up and saw the concern and panic written on her face. Taking in a breath, he rubbed his face before answering, she would find out soon enough anyway. And besides, the longer he kept it from her, the worse she would think it was.

"It's my dad, Jess… he's… he's dead." He told her in a trembling voice. She noticed then that his eyes were red-rimmed as if he either had _been_ crying or was on the _verge_ of crying. Either way, it made her heart ache to see him in so much pain. Regardless of what their relationship was like, he was still his father, it still hurt just as much as anyone could expect it to.

Without thinking, she sat down in the chair next to him and took one of his hands in her own before moving her chair closer to his and resting her head on his shoulder, looking up at him as he looked down at her out of the corner of his eyes.

"It's gonna be _okay_, Nick." She assured him, snuggling closer to him as he squeezed her hand, using his other hand to bring her closer, and kissing her forehead as her words sunk in. And for that moment, everything was more than okay. For that moment, everything was fine.

**Fin.**

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**Just a nice little fic where the death of Nick's father is still kinda sinking in and Jess shows him her undying love and support in a nice innocent sort of way. **

**So be sure to let me know what you think!**

_Always,  
~Hisa-Ai~_


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